With the exception of the SuperBowl year, and even then, the defense had been middle-of-the-road at best...

And among the constants in that time since 2009 - LBer Coach Joe Vitt, DL Coach Bill Johnson...

Willis, who enjoyed a seven-year NFL playing career with three teams is a 14-year coaching veteran who joins the Saints after spending the past two seasons as defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Brian Young enters his first season in charge of the club’s outside linebackers. In his seventh season as a member of the coaching staff, Young helped Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers Joe Vitt tutor the Saints linebackers from 2012-14 after breaking into the ranks as a coaching assistant from 2009-11.

Now about Bill Johnson, you may have a point, but we brought in 2 new LB coaches and Vitt is the "assistant Head Coach" now.

He was the interim DC; after Ryan being shown the door. No one has heard different, so he's still the DC until told otherwise

I actually never heard anyone refer to him as interim. Everything I heard was he took over as DC. I really think he was hired to take over the job from the get go. There were rumblings about Payton and Ryan not seeing eye to eye last season. When Payton announced that Ryan would still be the DC after last year he didnt seem to excited about it.

...Willis, who enjoyed a seven-year NFL playing career with three teams is a 14-year coaching veteran who joins the Saints after spending the past two seasons as defensive coordinator/inside linebackers coach at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Brian Young enters his first season in charge of the club’s outside linebackers. In his seventh season as a member of the coaching staff, Young helped Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers Joe Vitt tutor the Saints linebackers from 2012-14 after breaking into the ranks as a coaching assistant from 2009-11.

Now about Bill Johnson, you may have a point, but we brought in 2 new LB coaches and Vitt is the "assistant Head Coach" now.

That's correct, valid points...

...and it also illustrates that how some feel Vitt was a handicap with regards to the linebacking corps as we did see much improved play on the part of both the inside and outside linebackers with Willis and Young taking charge respectively this past season...

...so the change has already been happening as you indicated...

...And we're all in agreement that the defensive line continues to underwhelm...